


The gem we make together

by ailixandrite2dot0 (AILiSeki)



Series: Indigo AU [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Character Swap, Cameos, F/F, Implied Crackships, Momswap AU, Roleswap, mom swap, the slowest burn I ever wrote
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:41:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22516405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AILiSeki/pseuds/ailixandrite2dot0
Summary: Indigo Diamond found the happiness she never felt in Homeworld in the most unpredictable place.[a roleswap AU where Sapphire is a Diamond and Garnet is the leader of the rebellion.]
Relationships: Garnet/Pearl (Steven Universe), Pearl & Ruby (Steven Universe), Pearl & Sapphire (Steven Universe), Ruby/Sapphire (Steven Universe)
Series: Indigo AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1637512
Comments: 5
Kudos: 56
Collections: Steven Universe Mom swap/Role swap AUs





	The gem we make together

**Author's Note:**

> If you are curious, [this](https://indigodiamondau.tumblr.com/post/611266966534176768/indigo-diamond-best-known-as-her-alias-sapphire) is how I imagine Indigo looking like. Pink looks the same as in canon, but she is as tall as Yellow.

The first time she was formed, she was formed out of rage.

Rage was the only thing they had in common, the only link between them. It was not directed towards each other, of course not, or else she would not be stable enough to come back again and again. It was instead directed towards a common enemy, and for some time, that was enough to make the experience of fusing somehow pleasant and somehow freeing.

Indigo Diamond was the youngest of the four Diamonds, and also the shortest. While White, Yellow and Pink traveled across the galaxy, conquering planets and making gems, Indigo stayed in the palace on Homeworld, occasionally throwing balls and waiting for them to come back.

She loved the other Diamonds more than anything. But sometimes she couldn’t help but feel they didn’t see her as an equal, and that was the first of the small frustrations she bottled up inside.

To cope with what would be a very lonely existence otherwise, she started bonding with the other gems in the palace, as much as her status would allow. She knew it was a transgression, but the other Diamonds weren’t there to see it and she wasn’t going to spend her days alone while there were so many gems around her.

So, she played games with her Pearl, sang together with the talking walls, gave a nickname to each of the Pebbles in her room. The other gems at first didn’t know what to do, but they ended up doing as Indigo said, she was a Diamond after all. And after a while they started enjoying this, to the point of almost wishing the other Diamonds stayed away for longer, just so they could feel how it was to be an individual, to be free for longer.

As more and more gems entered Indigo’s circle of friends, the “secret” became less and less secret, until the other Diamonds inevitably found out.

They found it funny at first, their youngest treating those lower gems as if they were worth something. But when they realized that Indigo truly believed it, they couldn’t stand it anymore. Indigo was a Diamond and had to act as such, and she had to respect the rules of gemkind like everyone else.

That was when Indigo stopped looking forward to their return, or to anything at all. She became serious, as they expected her to be, but it didn’t mean she agreed with their ways. She just kept her feelings inside, all the sadness and the frustration that would soon become rage.

Ruby knew she was just one in many. She had been chosen to be one of the palace guards by Indigo herself, but she knew how replaceable she was. That was a reality she never thought of questioning.

She hadn’t known the kind and friendly Indigo, as she had been hired long after her Diamond grew cold. She heard only rumors, whispers in the corridors about those times, the days when any gem could reach their Diamond.

Ruby never knew loneliness. Every Ruby was her friend, her family, even the ones she never met. She was lucky, working in the palace and serving the Diamond considered the most merciful. Many others weren’t as lucky.

The stories got to her, of other Rubies being shattered on the battlefield or being left behind, and that enraged her. She didn’t care much for herself, but she cared for her sisters, and she couldn’t stand how hard things were for them. She also knew the higher soldiers always laughed at them, calling them dumb and worse things, even when they proved again and again they were just as capable as any Quartz.

The first time it happened was an accident. Indigo had thrown a ball for Yellow and Pink, everything proper and perfect just as they liked it. Indigo kept to her place, just as she should. Yet, the empty spot near her throne saddened her, as if it was an empty spot in her own being.

Yellow and Pink were there, but they might as well not be. It was clear their minds were far, far away and Indigo wondered what was the point of a ball if they didn’t even bother to be there, to enjoy the little time they had together. They were no better than White, who at least wasn’t pretending to care.

They had some time for themselves as their courts danced. Yellow mentioned some work she was doing in one of her colonies and Indigo expressed her wish to have a colony of her own. She was tired of being alone in Homeworld, she wanted something to do, and the idea of creating gems from nothing had always been beautiful for her. And if she had her own planet, maybe she could run things there the way she wanted, right?

As always, Yellow and Pink thought she wasn’t being serious. And then, they were unbelieving she could do it.

“Running a colony isn’t like throwing your little balls, Indigo,” Pink said. “It takes hard work.”

“I am a hard worker!” Indigo said.

“Indigo, you have never done anything like this,” Yellow said. “Don’t you want to start with something smaller?”

“Have _you_ started with something smaller?”

“No, but I-” Yellow paused.

“What?” Indigo clenched her fists. “Why do you never trust me? I am a Diamond too!”

Just then, the music stopped.

“Don’t make a scene,” Pink said, clenched teeth. “We’ll discuss this later.”

Indigo didn’t want to discuss it later. She wanted to discuss it right now, she wanted to know why they always thought she wasn’t good enough for anything. But she knew deep down that it would be for nothing.

She felt her fingers growing cold as she clenched her fists.

“Yes, Madam.”

Indigo sat back down and tried to remain calm, but she still felt the ice inside of her. After a few minutes, she announced she was retiring to her chambers, and left before hearing her fellow Diamonds' reactions.

Ruby was sent after her, as her Pearl was… it was complicated. She ran the fastest her short legs could take her.

“My Diamond!” She called, knocking on her door.

“Go away!” Indigo shouted from inside.

“Yellow Diamond and Pink Diamond want to know if you are well, my Diamond!” Ruby said.

“Why? It’s not like they care!”

Ruby felt her words escaping her. What was she supposed to say? This whole drama was none of her business. But she couldn’t simply go back to the ballroom without a good answer.

“W-what should I tell them, my Diamond?” She asked, tentatively.

That question made Indigo realize what she was doing. So now she was one to let her frustrations out on any lower gem that was nearby?

“I’m sorry.” She said. “I am not feeling very well right now.”

“Should I tell them so, my Diamond?”

“No, no! Just tell them… you know what, don’t tell them anything. Just stay here.” Indigo said.

Ruby felt a shiver inside. Would she get in trouble for it? But it was not like she could disobey a direct order from her Diamond either.

“As you wish, my Diamond.” She said. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“No, but it’s okay,” Indigo replied.

A moment of silence followed. Only the door separated the two. Ruby stood facing it, while Indigo rested her back against it.

“Ruby, are you still there?” Indigo asked, after the silence extended for too long.

“Yes, my Diamond!” Ruby answered.

“Are you content with the life you take?”

Was that a trap? Ruby wasn’t sure of how she was supposed to answer that, so she went the easiest way.

“Of course, my Diamond!”

“How do you do it? How can you stay content?”

Ruby felt her cheeks getting hot. She wasn’t made for answering questions!

“W-what else could I wish for?”

Indigo opened the door. Ruby was taken by surprise, face on fire. She had never seen her Diamond so close. Even kneeling on the ground as she was, she towered over Ruby. Her pale hair fell freely on her shoulders, and her blue eyes had a glimmer, even though she seemed very unhappy.

“Many things. The world is too unfair.”

Ruby didn’t disagree with that, but she couldn’t agree out loud. She knew her place.

“Not for me.” She shrugged.

Indigo envied her at that moment. She wanted to feel the same way. She reached out her hand to Ruby, wanting to invite her in, but the moment her fingers brushed against her, something unpredictable happened.

It was magical. It was unlike anything Indigo ever experienced. It made her feel open and vulnerable, but also strong and more confident than she ever did. And she felt all the feelings that she kept bottled overflowing, bigger than her form, ready to come out in a blast of electricity.

And then it was over, and Indigo was on the other side of her room, starry-eyed.

Ruby, on the other hand, had a vague idea of what happened. Not that it made sense, it shouldn’t even be possible, but she knew that feeling, or at least something similar to it. She had felt before the sensation of losing her form, of seeing the world from a completely different perspective. Yet, she had never felt so powerful… or so angry.

“I-I’m sorry!” She stuttered, panicking. “I didn’t mean to- I would never- Oh my stars, are you alright?”

She was dead. She should be shattered just for even considering thinking the mere possibility of- It couldn’t be true! She couldn’t possibly have _fused_ with a Diamond! But, on the remote possibility that it was the only way to explain what she felt for that half a second that it lasted, then it was surely her mistake, her fault, and she was such a stupid disrespectful-

“Do it again,” Indigo said.

“W-w-what?!” Ruby exclaimed, louder than she intended. Could this day get any weirder? Besides, she wasn’t even sure of what she had done, so how could she do it again anyway?

Indigo stared at her with her glimmering eyes.

“I’m sorry, my Diamond, but that would be extremely inappropriate! I can’t!” Ruby said, feeling the ground shaking. Was she really saying ‘no’ to her Diamond? But even that was better than the thought of-

“Please,” Indigo said. With a move of her delicate hand, the door was closed. “No one will know.”

Ruby blinked.

Indigo couldn’t understand. It was so simple. They had just touched. Why was that Ruby so hesitant?

“Fine. At least tell me how you did it.” She finally said.

“I don’t know!” Ruby replied, letting her frustration show in her voice.

“But you felt that, right?” Indigo insisted, her voice rising just a bit. “When we touched, that… it was like…” She trailed off. She didn’t even know how to describe it! All she knew was that it felt wonderful and she needed to feel it again.

Despite her own fears, Ruby noticed that her Diamond seemed to genuinely not know what had happened either. It felt wrong to keep that knowledge (or better saying, those suppositions) to herself.

“Like fusion, my Diamond.” Ruby almost whispered.

“ _That_ was fusion?” Indigo almost shouted. “Between me and you? This shouldn’t even be possible. How is this possible?”

How could Ruby know, if not even her Diamond knew?

“I’m sorry!”

“No, no!” Indigo stood up, deep in thought. “It’s not your fault. Maybe… it could be.” She started pacing. “It has probably never been attempted before. But, well, both our forms are constructions of light. Light is light.”

“Well, you are surely a much purer light than me,” Ruby said. As Indigo turned to her, she made a nervous salute. “My Diamond!”

“There’s no such thing as a purer light,” Indigo said, as if that was obvious.

“Of course, silly me.” _Dumb, dumb Ruby_.

“What do you usually do to fuse?”

“Well, we just get in formation. And then we focus on the enemy. And our bodies just do the thing.”

“Formation?”

“Yeah, you know… to align our gems?” Instinctively, Ruby raised her left hand, showing the gem on her palm.

Indigo raised her right hand, showing her own.

With their height difference, they were hardly aligned.

Indigo gave it some thought, and then picked Ruby up and held her so their hands were at the same height.

Ruby felt her face getting redder and warmer.

“You said you focus on the enemy, right?” Indigo asked.

Ruby nodded, unable to form words.

But there were no enemies right now, just as there were no enemies when it first happened.

“Maybe… we can imagine one?” Indigo suggested. Ruby nodded again.

Nothing happened.

Indigo let out a sigh of frustration, and sat down on the ground. Maybe this just wasn’t meant to be. But then, why did it happen before?

You couldn’t blame Ruby if she didn’t try hard enough, because the mere idea of what was happening was still too strange, and on top, being held by a freaking Diamond was just too much. She felt small near some gems, sure, but on Indigo’s hands she was like a Pebble. She didn’t even want to think about how this day would end.

Ruby closed her eyes, and when she opened them she didn’t feel like herself.

The gem stood up, looking down in confusion. Her clothes felt weird. Her height felt weird. She looked at her hands.

“Oh stars, we did it.” She said, in a voice that she had never heard before. She was a bit excited and a bit worried, but why should she be worried, what did _she_ have to fear?

“So this is fusion…” She said to herself. But no, even though she had never fused before, she knew somewhere inside of her that it wasn’t like this at all.

But what else could this be?

“If Yellow and Pink saw me now they would freak out.” She let out a nervous laugh. “I would be shattered. Or would I? I am half Diamond, right? Is this how this works?”

The fusion knew she should just _stop_ , the fact that she didn’t know the answer to her questions just a proof of how wrong what she was doing was (after all Indigo was a Diamond and she knew _everything_ there was to know about gemkind, she had to know, she did know right?). But she enjoyed existing way too much and didn’t want to end it so soon. Why was existing wrong? Just because she was different?

What did it matter what Yellow or Pink or White had to say about her anyway? Indigo was enjoying this. She was feeling the first good emotions she did in millennia, didn’t she have the right to enjoy it? This only concerned her and her Ruby, they should just mind their own business.

She felt that electricity again, the same as in the moment she was born. Without thinking, the fusion punched the nearest wall, and the strength of it created cracks on it.

The fusion blinked in amazement, and then was startled by the feeling of a third eye blinking on her forehead. Has it always been there? Nevermind that. Ruby punched things all the time, she even liked it, but she could never choose what she was to punch, and she was never that strong. Indigo never punched anything, always mindful of how, theoretically, she was much stronger than most gems, and of how improper it would be.

It felt so good. The fusion realized at once how much anger she held in herself, much more than it seemed possible, but punching that wall made it feel just a tiny bit better. Was she as strong as Indigo? Stronger? (Would it be possible for her to be stronger?) Should she be careful? She didn’t want to. No one was hurt and her fist didn’t ache, no one was even looking anyway.

“I will fix this later.” She said, as a sort of promise. But for now, she just wanted to try it again.

She spent a couple of hours just like that, punching the walls and figuring out a bit more about herself. She was much taller than Ruby but shorter than Indigo. Both her gemstones looked and felt different than they did for each of them individually, and took now a dark shade of red. She was strong and she liked punching. She hated Homeworld.

At the last realization, she stopped. Hate was a strong word. Yet it was what she felt, hatred. She hated everything Indigo and Ruby hated and more. Stars, if she didn’t have any self-preservation instincts, she could go right now challenge the other Diamonds to a fight.

She groaned, and Indigo and Ruby unfused.

Ruby wanted to run. _This is when I die_. Once again, she felt like everything was her mistake, from each sinful thought the fusion had, to even the sinful fusion in the first place.

Indigo blamed herself for the same things. She had gone too far now, and she had dragged the poor Ruby with her.

Yet both knew it wasn’t exactly true, because while they were the fusion they also weren’t, and it took two to do and think everything she did.

The cracks on the walls were proof of what she did, of what they did.

They parted without saying anything else, with only a silent agreement to never talk to anyone about what happened in that room. Indigo used her powers to fix the walls, and Ruby left for her quarters.

The days passed and neither could forget the experience. Indigo had an easy time hiding it, because she was used to hiding things. She hid state secrets from common gems, and her feelings from everyone. This was just another secret.

Ruby had a harder time. She was not used to hiding anything from other Rubies, or from her superiors. But this secret was much bigger than herself, as it didn’t involve only herself. For her Diamond’s sake, she could do it.

But it had felt nice. She felt big. Not only in size, that was something she was used to when she fused with other Rubies. Not even because of the increased physical strength, even though feeling even just a little of a Diamond’s strength was mind-blowing. But what she really enjoyed was feeling confident. Not afraid. Ruby thought twice everything, every idea that came to her mind. She never stepped out of line, couldn’t afford to. But the fusion, she was confident in her own power, in whatever status she deserved thanks to Indigo, and maybe she wasn’t all that, but she was really ready to fight to defend her right to exist.

It felt nice for Indigo too. She felt like the fusion had the courage to stand up for herself in ways she never did. She didn’t care about being proper, she didn’t feel bad for being who she was even if she knew (because Indigo knew) that by Homeworld’s law she shouldn’t even exist. Yet, she was not selfish, or at least she didn’t feel like she was. She wasn’t there just to break rules for the sake of chaos, creating problems for everyone.

Both Indigo and Ruby wanted to be more like the fusion, so it should be no surprise that the first time wasn’t the last time.

They met at Indigo’s room. Ruby only went when the other Diamonds weren’t around, having felt well how ready the fusion was to fight them. She didn’t need this risk. Indigo made sure nothing would bother them, no calls or visits.

The fusion really enjoyed breaking things, and that gave Indigo and Ruby a release for their frustrations. But at some point she realized that simply existing was an act of rebellion, and then simply fusing became enough as a release.

After that, the fusion started wondering about herself. She found one of Indigo’s mirrors and took a good look at herself. She had Ruby’s hair, but in shades of light red and blue. She did have three eyes, one red and one blue, with a diamond-shaped pupil, and one purple, the one on her forehead. Her clothes were a mix of Indigo’s dress and Ruby’s uniform, messy and colored in blotches of light red and blue.

She didn’t look like any existing type of gem, not fully. She did have traits in common with one or another, with Ruby and with the Diamonds themselves, but not enough to be like any of them.

Yet, she felt that the way she was was just right.

Indigo wondered if they could make small changes in her form when they fused, like when some gems regenerate their forms. Change some shape in her clothing or such. She and Ruby started trying, trying to adjust her messy clothes into something that fit themselves and the fusion better.

More and more, the fusion was someone else, someone who wasn’t either Indigo or Ruby. She had her own feelings and opinions. She had a personality. She only lacked a name, but as she never interacted with anyone, she didn’t feel like she needed one.

Indigo and Ruby inevitably grew closer. They caught glimpses of each other’s true self when they fused, and the conversations they had before and after became longer. Ruby was no longer afraid. Indigo was no longer guarded.

A point came in which they didn’t meet only for fusing anymore. Some days they would just sit together, talking and, later, exchanging gestures of affection.

Of course, their secret couldn’t stay a secret forever.

Things started changing when Indigo received her new Pearl.

Indigo wanted to be friends with her, but she dismissed all her attempts with coldness and a dedication to order and to keep things the way they should be. Indigo wondered if she had heard what happened to her other Pearl and if that made her scared of stepping out of line. The thought hurt her.

When Indigo wanted to meet with Ruby, she had to send the Pearl away on some task that would keep her occupied until they were done. That also bothered her, but she couldn’t see any other way to do it. At least she wasn’t ordering the Pearl to do any _hard_ tasks, sometimes she only asked her to stand in another room for a few hours. No big deal.

The thing about that Pearl was that she had the same gem placement as White, and so Indigo couldn’t look at her without thinking of White. To make it worse, she had a habit of always looking at Indigo unless told otherwise, and she didn’t knock on doors, and she could be disturbingly silent. Indigo felt as if she was constantly being watched, not only by the harmless Pearl, but by White herself.

Indigo knew that if they discovered what she did behind her chambers' doors, Yellow and Pink would freak out. She would be locked in the tower, but not before hearing at least one year of scolding. They would shout, they would break things, and she didn’t want to think of what they would do to Ruby. And it would suck, truly, but at least she knew what to expect from them. Their anger was something she knew well. But if _White_ found out, she had no idea of what to expect. She had never seen White angry. She was a lot more permissive to Indigo, not because she didn’t see anything wrong with her actions, but because, it seemed, she found them too small to be worth her attention.

Would this be too small too? Indigo could imagine Yellow and Pink being shocked that this fusion was even possible, between two different gems, two _very_ different gems, one of them a Diamond. But there was no way White didn’t know it was possible, because White knew _everything_ about gemkind, even things the other Diamonds didn’t know. If she knew, there was a reason she never told anyone. She certainly didn’t want anyone attempting it. If this didn’t enrage her, Indigo couldn’t imagine anything she did ever doing so.

Indigo wanted to share her fears with Ruby, but she didn’t want her worrying too much. Ruby already knew what they did was risky, she didn’t need to know the details of each Diamond’s rage or of what happened to transgressors. Besides, if the worse was to happen, it would be up to Indigo to protect Ruby, not the other way around.

She did share that White was the one who scared her the most. Ruby tried to calm her, saying it couldn’t be so bad, but she saw in Indigo’s eyes that this was serious. She felt impotent. She was a soldier, made to protect someone, but she couldn’t protect Indigo if the enemy was her fellow Diamonds. She couldn’t do anything, she was small and weak.

The fusion was also afraid, but she tried not to be too afraid to the point of not enjoying the moments she could exist. She knew more than Ruby about the Diamonds, and she felt weaker than Indigo. Sometimes this made her angry, and she punched and kicked the walls. Other times, she would sit on the floor and hug herself, trying to comfort herself. But most times she focused on her other feelings, the warm feelings growing inside that were stronger each day.

She was one day enjoying these feelings and enjoying being when she noticed the door was open. Standing there, eyes wide, was Indigo’s Pearl.

“Oh my stars”, she whispered when she noticed the fusion was looking at her. She then closed her eyes and covered them with her arms.

The fusion pulled her inside the room and closed the door.

“I didn’t see anything!” The Pearl almost shouted. “Please don’t shatter me!”

The fusion noticed her thin arms were not only covering her eyes, but also trying to protect her gem.

“It’s alright, it’s alright.” The fusion whispered. “I know you didn’t do it on purpose, just please, don’t shout!”

“Please, don’t shatter me, my Diamond!” The Pearl begged again, voice still loud.

“No one will be shattered.” The fusion tried to assure her. “I’m not… your Diamond…” She wanted to have her identity recognized, but as she spoke she realized two things. The first was that she was hardly sure of who she was, even after all this time. The second was that she was not Indigo Diamond, which she already knew, but it also meant she probably didn’t get any of her privileges.

She unfused.

Ruby was confused and Indigo was tearing up. She had really tried not to think of what would happen to Ruby if they were found.

“Pearl…” She said in a soft tone. “It’s alright, everything will be alright. We just have to keep this a secret…”

Ruby frowned.

Pearl seemed to calm down, as she slowly lowered her arms.

“You can’t ask this of her!” Ruby said, making Indigo and Pearl turn at her in confusion. “If they find us out, and they find out she knew, what will they do to her?!”

“What do you think they will do to her if _she_ reports _this_?” Indigo shot back. She would later admit she sounded angry, but in truth she was only afraid. For Ruby, for Pearl.

Ruby felt something hot growing inside, in a way her anger had never felt before. Smoke was coming from her fingertips.

“You elites are all the same!” She shouted, before running off from the room.

Pearl covered her mouth, shocked at how she spoke to their Diamond.

Indigo was also shocked, and hurt. The words hurt. The fact Ruby said them, after all the time they spent together, after knowing each other so well, hurt.

But what hurt the most was that she might be right. Indigo dragged them both into this mess, and in the end she was the only one who would get away with it easily. How could she be so selfish?

“My Diamond?” Pearl asked, hesitant.

Indigo felt the room grow colder.

“Pearl.” She looked at the smaller gem. “Did you have a message for me or something?”

Pearl blushed. With all of that, she forgot what she went there for.

“The other Diamonds require your presence in the throne room, my Diamond.”

Indigo nodded. Might as well get this over with.

It wasn’t anything big or particularly important. Indigo somehow managed to act like she hadn’t been doing what she had, like she didn’t have the argument she just did. Now and then she glanced at Pearl, wondering if she would report what she saw, but she stood perfectly still and quiet. She guessed she wouldn’t speak unless spoken to, and no one had any reason to ask her if Indigo was breaking any rules while they were away, right?

She remembered those times she imagined Pearl could be spying on her, and shivered. If that was the case, it was over. She wondered if there was any place in the universe where she could send Ruby to, where she wouldn’t be found.

The meeting was short and Indigo left without any of her secrets exposed, which was a victory. Pearl accompanied her to her chambers, and as soon as they arrived Indigo let her body drop to the floor.

“My Diamond?” Pearl shyly called.

“Hm?” Indigo sat up.

“Please forgive my boldness… as you well know, my purpose is to serve your best interests.”

“Yes.” Indigo nodded. “And you do it well.”

Pearl blushed.

“I understand that keeping what I saw earlier a secret is of your best interests, am I correct?”

“You are, but,” Indigo started carefully, “what you saw was no small transgression. It is the sort of act that White would despise so much, that even allowing it to happen and not reporting immediately could be considered treason too.”

Pearl nodded.

“That’s why it’s of your best interests to keep it a secret, correct?”

“Yes, but it may not be of _your_ best interests.”

“My interests are of no importance, My Diamond.”

“They are to me,” Indigo said, taking one of Pearl’s hands. “You were only doing your job, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s unfair that you could be punished for my actions. I thank you for considering my interests, but when the time comes for you to choose between telling or not, please choose the option that would bring you the least harm.”

Pearl blinked. She was young and hadn’t had any other master except for her Diamond. Yet she knew this was very unusual. Pearls were broken and replaced all the time. Sometimes the master felt bad because she went through the trouble of customizing her Pearl only to do all of it again with the next one, and such. But she has been with Indigo for a short time, had barely any customizations, and wasn’t needed for much more than basic Pearl chores. That was why she was so scared before when she first saw the… she still refused to name that. The most obvious choice for Indigo back then should be to just shatter Pearl (or just bubble her, if she was feeling merciful) and get a new Pearl. But that didn’t happen, and now this talk of considering what would bring the least harm to _herself_?

What an insane situation she put herself into.

“As you wish, my Diamond.” She replied, because the only thing she was still sure of was what reply was expected of her.

“Good.” Indigo smiled, lying back again on the floor.

One question was dealt with, now she only had to think of what to say to Ruby. Or if she should even talk to Ruby. Maybe she shouldn’t, maybe she should take this chance to stop this madness. She would be safer this way, and so would Ruby and Pearl. Everything would go back to how it was, to how it should be.

But she didn’t want things to be that way! She didn’t want to always keep her feelings inside to herself, she didn’t want to spend long, boring days only waiting for Yellow and Pink to come back, so they could ignore and ridicule her. She didn’t want to feel lonely.

She didn’t want not to be with Ruby.

“My Diamond?” Pearl called again.

“What?”

“Is there anything else I could do for you?”

Indigo was about to dismiss Pearl, when she realized there was no one else who she could share what was on her mind with. Pearl had already _seen_ it, talking about it wouldn’t make things worse.

“Actually, there is one thing.”

Pearl stood in anticipation of the next orders. Indigo hesitated.

Pink always said that asking for advice was helpful when you didn’t know what to do, and that that was the reason why there were four Diamonds instead of one. Indigo wanted to believe it, and yet, she wasn’t made yesterday. She knew that they were not supposed not to know what to do, and there was shame in admitting when they didn’t.

She couldn’t ask them about this anyway, because even if she lived in a reality that she could tell them about Ruby without any negative consequences, she doubted they would ever be able to understand. They cared only about themselves.

So Pearl was really her only choice. Indigo wondered if she would understand. Did she have any friends? She was new, and she wasn’t made for creating bonds, but Indigo wasn’t either. It could be worth a try.

Pearl was still looking at her with her big blue eyes.

“There’s no pressure.” She said. “It’s alright if you don’t have anything to say. I just want to try because I really have no idea what to do.”

Pearl didn’t move, still unsure of what she was being asked.

“It’s not like I expect you to have the right answer, I just think that talking to you will help and if you do have any advice, it will be nice to hear.” Indigo sighed. “Sorry, I am rambling. I just don’t want Ruby to hate me forever.”

Pearl blinked.

“But, she is right! I am terrible. I am selfish. I want to talk to her and make things better, but I can’t simply ask her to talk to me! If I do it and she doesn’t want to, she will hate me even more!”

Pearl listened in silence, and then tilted her head in thought.

“What if she wants to talk to you?”

Indigo was taken by surprise by the question.

“I think, my Diamond, that if she wanted to talk to you, she would have no chance to do so, or to approach you first to let you know.” Pearl continued. “Unless you called her.”

“You are right,” Indigo said. “Thank you so much, Pearl!”

Pearl’s cheeks turned a light teal.

Indigo asked that Ruby be called to her chambers, and started mentally rehearsing what to say. This felt more important than any speech she ever did.

When Ruby arrived, Pearl turned to Indigo.

“Should I leave, my Diamond?”

“No, please stay,” Indigo said.

Ruby’s expression was blank.

“How may I serve you, my Diamond?” She asked, saluting.

“This is not a formal meeting,” Indigo said. “I just want to talk to you. But, if you don’t want to talk to me, I will understand it.”

Ruby’s posture relaxed, which gave Indigo some relief.

“About what?”

Indigo sat down, so they would be closer to eye level.

“You are right. I am the same as any other elite gem. It is so easy for me to complain when I have all the privileges I have.”

“You are not like them!” Ruby said. “I shouldn’t have said that. I know it’s not true. I was just so frustrated and-”

“You should have said that. I needed to hear it.” Indigo said. “You are risking so much every time you come here, and I never gave it the value I should have.”

“I know I am,” Ruby said. “But it’s alright, because it is a risk I chose to take.”

Indigo’s lips curled up.

“And it may be the _only_ risk that I actually _chose_. I just… never wanted anyone else to be in danger because of it too.” Ruby gave a side glance at Pearl, who quickly straightened her posture.

“I never wanted it either,” Indigo said. “And I promise, if the worst happens, I will do everything in my power to protect you both. And before that, I will do _everything_ in my power to prevent us from being found out.”

“I know,” Ruby said, confident.

“ _Everything_ ,” Indigo repeated. “And the best I can do is stopping this.”

“Wait, what?”

“Ruby, this has become too dangerous. It’s best to stop now while we can. You are the one taking the biggest risks between us, so if you want to stop-”

“Do you want to stop?” Ruby asked.

“I-” Indigo debated for a second if she should be honest or say the safest thing. She chose the former. “I don’t want to. I like who I become when I am with you. I like how confident, how careless, how _free_ she is. She never worries about anything, about what others will think. I like being her. And I _like_ you.” She shook her head. “But it doesn’t matter how I feel. I have no right to ask you to risk your life for this. Your safety matters more.”

“But I like her too! She’s so powerful, and, and she has that cool third eye.” Ruby sighed. “But I guess a lower gem like me would definitely feel good about… with someone like you. Maybe that’s why it’s forbidden.”

Indigo felt something ache in her chest, but this was not the time to try to figure it out.

“Ruby…”

“I don’t understand what you could possibly find good in being with me.” Ruby continued. “If you think we should stop, you must be right.”

“I just want to know what _you_ think.”

Ruby hesitated. She gave a look to the side, then down.

“I don’t _want_ to stop.”

“I don’t want neither,” Indigo confessed.

She took one step towards Ruby, and it was all it took for Ruby to jump into her arms. They stayed like that, holding each other, trying not to think of the danger they were putting themselves into. They didn’t fuse this time. Yet, they felt just as connected as if they did.

* * *

Pearl wouldn’t dare to ever spill out Indigo’s secrets. She would rather be shattered than do so. But that didn’t stop her from thinking about them quite often.

A Diamond caring for a Ruby? A fusion between different gems? She might be a Pearl but she knew how ridiculous this all sounded, yet it was real and very serious. But it made no sense! How did it happen? And why?

Maybe she was too simple to understand it. Yes, she couldn’t hope to understand how the mind of a Diamond worked. But her Diamond had been at a loss of what to do and asked _her_ for advice. Her! And she found it useful!

How was Pearl able to give useful advice about something she didn’t understand? Sure, she had merely stated the obvious, but that obvious was helpful to Indigo. How better would she be able to serve her if she actually understood at least a bit of it?

Pearl tried looking at it in simple terms. Ruby served Indigo, Indigo was Ruby’s Diamond. Pearl had no hopes of understanding how a Diamond saw her gems and she never would have anyone serve her, but she did also serve Indigo. That was a start.

Pearl wanted to be near Indigo, of course, and wanted to please her. But she was her _Pearl_. Was this feeling shared by other gems? By Ruby?

No, there was something more. Ruby dropped all formalities in an instant. When they talked, they spoke freely and wanted to know what the other had to say. They held each other.

Was their relationship maybe that of colleagues, somehow?

It was a ball when Pearl mused on this. She had seen groups of Rubies or of Amethysts fooling around before. They laughed together and held each other and also hit and kicked each other. It was strange.

She looked around thinking of her own colleagues. On her left, Yellow’s Pearl watched the ball with her nose up. On the level bellow, Pink’s Pearl tried to hide a mischievous smile. On the level above, White’s Pearl was frozen still, staring blankly, the crack on her face still not fixed.

These were the only colleagues she had. They didn’t talk a lot, as the Diamonds were rarely together in the same place. Even when they were, most times the Pearls had to stand by their respective Diamond, still and quiet. They did have a sort of bond, even with White’s despite the fact that Pearl had never heard her say a word and that the other two would avoid her when they could. They had a bond, because no one else, not even other Pearls, knew what it was like to be a Diamond’s Pearl, to keep secrets that could start wars and to be constantly in their perfect Light.

But that was it. Pearl actually didn’t like Yellow’s and Pink’s a lot, and she was curious about White’s. They wouldn’t hug or…

There was the f word. Pearl tried not to think about it. But it all came back to it. Fusion was a thing that gems could do, it was as natural as forming and shape-shifting. But just because they could do it, it didn’t mean they should. Pearl never fused, of course, but she knew that when a gem did, she, in simple terms, opened her mind and her whole being to another gem. She couldn’t imagine someone ever wanting to do this, purpose or not. She could almost understand it when it came to soldiers, because she guessed there were moments in battle in which there was no choice, and soldiers were accustomed to trusting each other like that.

Ruby was a soldier. She was probably who started it. Did she offer to fuse with Indigo to prove her loyalty?

“Pearl?”

Indigo’s voice brought her back from her thoughts.

“My Diamond?”

“Are you feeling well? You seem a bit distracted today.”

“I’m sorry, my Diamond. I will try to concentrate more.”

Indigo frowned. Pearl wanted to hide her face.

They were in Indigo’s chambers. She was looking at some screens, filled with data Pearl wouldn’t try to comprehend.

“This is never going to work,” Indigo said, and the temperature in the room dropped a bit.

Pearl wondered if she was expected to know what Indigo was talking about.

“I told them I wanted a colony, and what do they do? Give me this.” She pointed to the screens. “ _Why don’t you practice with the numbers of one of my colonies?_ ” She said, impersonating Pink. “Why don’t you let me make actual decisions then? Nooo, she just wants someone to do the math for her. This is for a Hematite to do, not a Diamond.”

Pearl wasn’t sure of what to say. Would “I’m sorry” be rude?

“They never take me seriously, Pearl. It’s always ‘you are so adorable!’ and ‘that’s so funny!’. But I am a Diamond! I am not supposed to be adorable or funny, I am supposed to be a leader! Why don’t they let me be a leader?” She sighed. “It’s like they just want me as some kind of Pet Rock to greet them when they’re here and miss them when they’re not.”

“You are an important leader to all the gems made to serve you, my Diamond,” Pearl said. “You mean everything to us, and to us you are perfect.”

Indigo smiled. With a move of hands, she closed all screens, and took Pearl to the table so they could be looking eye to eye.

“Thank you, my Pearl. You always know how to make me feel better.”

“It’s my pleasure, my Diamond,” Pearl replied, cheeks turning teal.

“What was it that distracted you so much today?” Indigo asked, softly. It was not an order. Just a request.

“I was thinking of ways to better serve you, my Diamond.”

“Why? Do you feel like you are lacking?”

“Are you satisfied with my services?” Pearl asked back.

“I am.” Indigo smiled.

That made Pearl smile too. She felt at ease when she was alone with Indigo, but she couldn’t tell why. She worried about one day getting too at ease and saying or doing something she shouldn’t.

“I just feel like I could do better if I knew more about certain things.” She explained in a low, careful tone.

“Don’t worry too much about it,” Indigo said. “I will never ask of you more than you can give.”

But Pearl did worry. She wanted to do the best she could. That was all, right? She just wanted to understand it all so she could serve her Diamond better. She didn’t have any other hidden, _personal_ reasons. That would be ridiculous.

That moment with Indigo gave her a little more insight into the situation. The way she had spoken of the other Diamonds… maybe their relationship wasn’t as close as she had thought. If Indigo wasn’t close to the other Diamonds, then who could she be close to? Maybe that was why she spent so much time with Ruby. Ruby, a gem who naturally formed bonds with her peers.

Pearl was satisfied with her conclusions. She still didn’t understand why the _f_ thing, though, but she figured that was something she would never be able to understand. What she had was enough for now.

One afternoon, not long after, Pearl was standing outside Indigo’s chambers. Indigo was out, taking care of some business that she didn’t need Pearl around for. She was just waiting for her to come back when a Ruby - Indigo’s Ruby - approached her.

“Can I stay here with you?” She asked.

Pearl nodded.

Ruby positioned herself beside Pearl, but something seemed to be bothering her. Her limbs wouldn’t stay still.

“Not too much to do when she is not around, huh?”

Pearl nodded again.

“So… I was wondering… if you were alright.”

Pearl frowned. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know.” Ruby looked around the corridor, making sure they were alone. “It’s a pretty heavy secret.”

“I’m good with secrets,” Pearl said, proudly.

“Aren’t you scared?”

Pearl tilted her head slightly towards Ruby. “Are you?”

“All the time!” Ruby sighed. “Except when I’m with her, of course.”

That seemed counterintuitive. Shouldn’t she be more scared when she was doing it and could be caught?

“She said she wouldn’t let anything happen to you,” Pearl said.

“I know. And she meant it.” Ruby said. “It’s scary how much she meant it.”

Pearl couldn’t help herself.

“Do you know everything she thinks? When you’re…” She trailed off, unable to say the word.

“Not exactly. It’s like… we are thinking the same things? But not really. It’s like we are talking, but really fast, so fast that it’s hard to know where my thoughts end and hers start? I don’t really know how to explain it.”

“I see,” Pearl said, not knowing what else to say. It was hard to understand.

They fell into some moments of silence before Ruby spoke again.

“So… if you ever need anything and you feel like you can’t tell her, you can tell me. I say a lot of things to her and she never gets mad, so…”

“Why are you offering me this?” Pearl asked.

“It’s the least I can do for you,” Ruby answered, her tone sincere.

“Thank you,” Pearl said, feeling a strange warmth. After a moment, she added. “All I want is to serve my Diamond well.”

“ _All_ you want?”

“What else could I want? She means everything to me.” Pearl sighed. “I think understanding what you have with her might help, but it’s so hard for me. It’s not like I have any companions, or _friends_ …”

“What about the other Pearls?” Ruby asked.

“It’s… complicated.”

“And the other gems…?”

“No gem wants to approach a Diamond’s Pearl. And I wouldn’t know what to do if they did.”

“You knew what to do when I did.” Ruby pointed.

Pearl’s cheeks turned teal. “You make it feel easier.” She confessed. “You can tell me if I am out of line.”

“You are not. As long as no one sees us.” She chuckled.

Pearl couldn’t help but smile. That was not a subject to be made fun of, but something in Ruby’s laugh made her feel relaxed.

The next day, after being sent away after Ruby arrived in Indigo’s chambers, Pearl was called back much earlier than usual.

She arrived and saw Ruby still there, waiting by Indigo’s side. Her Diamond locked the door.

“Pearl, Ruby has told me you feel a little lonely,” Indigo said.

“I said no such thing!” Pearl answered, defensive.

Indigo tilted her head, and turned to Ruby.

“It was the subtext,” Ruby said.

Pearl frowned. She was sure there had been no subtext. She didn’t feel lonely. She couldn’t feel lonely when the reason for her existence was almost always with her.

“Well, we know someone who is lonely, and she was very excited about meeting you,” Indigo said. “If you want to.”

“I can meet her if you want me to,” Pearl said.

“Great!” Indigo smiled, making Pearl and Ruby smile as well. “But if you get uncomfortable, please tell me. Well, tell _her_.”

Pearl nodded. She then watched as Indigo picked Ruby up from the ground and their forms started glowing, and changing… oh, stars, she should cover her eyes! But she couldn’t. There was something just fascinating about seeing their lights dancing around each other before joining as one, and a new being taking form.

The fusion looked a bit different from what Pearl remembered, the diamond-shaped patterns on her clothes were different and her hair looked darker, though it still had hints of red and blue all over it.

She looked _wrong_ , her colors and shapes all in the wrong places, but she was also strangely _beautiful_ , and her eyes looked kind, and Pearl was glad she wasn’t much taller than herself or else she wouldn’t be able to form a coherent thought.

“Hello.” She said, her body language showing shyness.

Stars, even her voice sounded different and beautiful.

“My Diamond.” Pearl saluted.

“Please, don’t call me that.” The fusion raised her right hand a bit. “I’m not her.”

Pearl could see Indigo’s gem on her palm. It looked different, but it was her, it was there.

“How should I call you?”

The fusion opened her mouth, then closed it again. The question had popped a few times in her mind, but there was always something more important. The fact was that she still didn’t have a name. She looked at her two palms, trying once again to figure if she had ever seen another gem like her, but she gave up soon.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Pearl watched it with a raised eyebrow. Maybe it did matter that Indigo’s gem had changed. Except for the cut, it looked nothing like a diamond anymore. But then, what did it look like now?

“Just call me ‘Fusion’, if you want.” The Fusion said.

Pearl nodded. “Will… will they remember all of this when you…?” She trailed off.

The Fusion understood what she meant. “Yes, they will.”

Pearl nodded again. “My Diamond said… you feel lonely.”

“I don’t really get to meet anyone as me.” The Fusion explained. “But you had already seen me so I thought maybe… I could meet you.”

“It is nice to meet you,” Pearl said, with a small smile.

The Fusion answered with a big smile as she extended her right hand. “Nice to meet you too!”

Pearl hesitatingly accepted it, and shook her hand, feeling Indigo’s gem (that was not indigo or a diamond anymore) in hers. This was very odd and very inappropriate, but the Fusion looked so happy.

“Tell me, Pearl, what do you like?” The Fusion asked.

“Serving my Diamond. What do you like?”

The Fusion grinned, as if she already expected for that answer. “Existing. And punching things.”

Pearl gave a small step backward. She didn’t want to find out how strong a Diamond’s - Diamond fusion’s - punch could be. Maybe that was the Ruby in her speaking. That’s why such fusions shouldn’t exist!

“You don’t need to be afraid.” The Fusion frowned. “I would never hurt you.”

Pearl tried to smile. “I’m not afraid.”

The Fusion didn’t seem to believe her.

“Indigo vowed not to let anything happen to you.” She said. “Before she even met you.”

Pearl felt her cheeks heating.

“I won’t let anything happen to you either.” She continued. “I know we just met, but I care about you. Because they care about you.”

It was a bit hard for Pearl to believe. She wasn’t made to be cared for. Yet, the Fusion, with her kind eyes and her beautiful voice, looking like no gem Pearl knew what to expect from, made it sound almost like true.

The Fusion sat down on the floor, and signaled for Pearl to join her. Pearl did.

“You said you like existing?” Pearl asked.

The Fusion nodded. “I didn’t mind it at first. But now I find that I get really happy when I am here.”

Pearl tried to imagine what it was like to disappear at times, but she couldn’t. The only existence she knew was the one she had.

“And punching… are you a warrior?”

“I have never been to any war.” The Fusion shrugged.

“But do you wish to fight?” Pearl knew some warriors truly enjoyed fighting, even when there was nothing at stake.

“There is just one fight I want to be in.” The Fusion said. “But it is never going to happen. I feel some relief when I get to punch the walls and such, so that’s what I do.”

Pearl nodded, but her mind was a mess. “You fuse just… to punch walls?”

“And to exist.” The Fusion said. “It’s more about existing than about punching, these days. I wish I could be more often.”

“But when you… _are you_ , Indigo Diamond and Ruby aren’t themselves.”

The Fusion smiled.

“No. When I am me, they are more themselves than they are ever allowed to be.”

Pearl frowned, not really understanding how it was possible.

The Fusion’s eyes widened. “It’s almost time for Indigo’s next appointment. I have to go.”

It was true, but Pearl felt herself wishing she could stay just a bit more with the Fusion. Nothing she said made sense, but being with her was nice.

But they had no time. The Fusion stood up, and soon it was Indigo and Ruby in front of her again.

Both had a slight blush on her faces. Indigo ran to her mirror to make sure she was looking proper, while Ruby approached Pearl.

“She won’t fight anyone, don’t worry.” She said, with a nervous laugh.

It was strange, to be reminded that everything she talked about with the Fusion, she talked about with Ruby. And with Indigo. Stars, did she behave well?

Pearl had no time to think or ask about it, as she had to follow Indigo to her next appointment.

Indigo later asked her if she would like to meet the Fusion again, and Pearl accepted it. How could she not? She was so intriguing, with her enigmatic words and her strange beauty. Pearl felt that as long as her Diamond allowed her, she would want to use any chance she had to be near the Fusion.

So they started meeting regularly every other day. They would sit together in Indigo’s room and talk. The Fusion asked Pearl about the palace, about Homeworld, about other gems. All the things she never got to see with her own eyes. In return, Pearl asked her about herself, satisfying all her curiosity.

It was easy to forget that Indigo and Ruby were in there. Talking with the Fusion was like talking with someone else entirely. Pearl was much more comfortable near her than she was near any of her components, maybe because it was unclear how many steps above her the Fusion would be in gem hierarchy.

Pearl would sometimes bring her guesses of what type of gem she was. They would discuss the matter sometimes, and Pearl felt the Fusion really wanted to know. She really wanted to find her identity.

The Fusion felt happy. She still loved being by herself, but she also loved Pearl’s company. Pearl was intelligent, and kind, and creative (though she would never describe herself as so), and when they were together, the Fusion could hardly remember her anger. But when they weren’t, she would ask herself why couldn’t they always be like that, sitting side by side, seeing eye to eye, talking like equals, and the familiar electricity sparkled inside of her.

They were talking one day, Pearl showing her some holograms of the last ball as she described what she saw there, when the door to Indigo’s room opened without warning. The Fusion felt a familiar dread. They weren’t as lucky as last time.

It was Pink.

Her form glowed the moment she laid her eyes on the Fusion. She was furious.

“What is the meaning of this?!”

The Fusion felt Pink’s aura spreading across the room. She looked at Pearl and saw that she was holding herself, her nails digging into her form, her teeth biting her lip. Trying to contain the feelings Pink was imposing on her.

Indigo had seen it many times. When Pink was happy (rare occasions), she filled the gems around her with euphoria. When she was sad, she made them cry. When she was angry, which happened very often, she made them angry at themselves.

The Fusion was angry, but not at herself. She was angry at Pink for hurting her friend. She felt the electricity running through her whole body, and for the first time she summoned her weapon: a pair of gauntlets. She jumped, ready to attack Pink…

She blinked. She was on the floor again, and Pearl was by her side, safe, telling about the ball. Deja vu.

Pearl gave her a strange look. For a moment, she noticed the Fusion’s lower eyes going still, unfocused, while her purple eye moved very fast, seeming to run across the room. As suddenly as it started, it stopped, and the Fusion grabbed her hand, holding it tightly.

“She’s coming.” She said, standing up and unfusing in a second.

Ruby grabbed Pearl’s hand and pulled her to the other side of the room, while Indigo sat on her chair and dusted off her dress.

One second later, without warning, the door to Indigo’s room opened.

It was Pink.

She looked around and squinted at Pearl and Ruby. Pearl stood properly still, but inside she was trembling.

“Must you always have a Ruby in your room?”

Indigo turned at her. “She makes me feel safe. Did you come only to question my choices in front of my subordinates?”

Indigo didn’t like the word “subordinates”, but she knew this was the only way to get Pink to leave her alone.

“No,” Pink said. “I came to remind you not to be late for the meeting. White has some news that I think you will like.” She smiled.

Pearl and Ruby had to hold themselves back from frowning. Pink Diamond smiling was a very strange view.

Indigo smiled back. “I won’t. Thank you, Pink.”

Pink nodded, and left. The three gems in the room waited a moment, and then another, before moving from their positions.

“White wants to talk to you?!” Ruby was the first to speak.

“It seems?” Indigo shrugged. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

“H-how did you know she was coming?” Pearl asked, so shocked at everything that happened that she forgot the formalities.

Indigo and Ruby exchanged a look.

“I think our fusion had a sort of future vision.” Indigo explained.

“Like a Sapphire?” Pearl asked.

“Exactly!”

“It was not like a Sapphire,” Ruby said. “It didn’t happen exactly as she saw.”

“What did she saw?” Pearl asked innocently.

Indigo and Ruby exchanged another look.

“Pink saw her,” Indigo said. At Pearl’s shocked look, she corrected herself. “In the vision. She saw Pink seeing her and… things didn’t go so well from there.”

“She punched Pink’s nose!” Ruby said, excited.

Pearl gave her an indignant look. Indigo couldn’t help but smile.

“But she was defeated.” She added, growing serious again. “We are not strong enough for this fight.”

“This is the fight she wants?” Pearl asked, horrified.

“Yeah.” Ruby said. “But Indigo is right. She’s not strong enough. It’s crazy.” She sighed. “What could White want to tell you?”

“She probably just wants to scold me for something. It’s all she ever does.” Indigo took a comb from her table and started combing her hair.

“Pink Diamond said it would be good news.” Pearl pointed.

“Pink says a lot of things. She doesn’t mean half of them.” Indigo said.

Ruby giggled. Pearl looked to the side, uncomfortable.

“You don’t think she knows about us, do you?” Ruby asked.

Indigo paused for a moment, looking at her reflection in her mirror.

“No. She has no way of knowing.”

“Are you sure?” Ruby asked. “You said she’s a bit…”

“Creepy? Yeah.” Indigo lowered her eyes. “But she’s not omniscient.”

“But why did Pink ask about me?” Ruby insisted. “She never asks about me.”

“Because she’s Pink! She hates everything I do.” Indigo stood up. “Don’t worry about them. I got this.”

Ruby nodded, and then she jumped so she could put her left hand over Indigo’s.

“I know. I’m sorry, I just worry about you there with them.”

Indigo crouched down to be near her. “Don’t. I am a Diamond, remember?”

“Of course.” Ruby smiled. “You got this.”

Indigo stood up. “You two, wait here. This shouldn’t take long.”

Giving them one last smile, she left.

Pearl needed a moment. She had been around the Fusion a lot, but she didn’t see Ruby and Indigo interacting very often. They were so _casual_ , so… _intimate_. It was all so improper.

“Do you want to fight Pink Diamond?!” Pearl asked Ruby, who was walking around the room as if she owned the place.

“Yup,” Ruby said. “And Yellow and White too.”

Now that Indigo wasn’t there, Pearl felt free to freak out at the concept.

“Why?”

“Why not? They are awful, they shatter gems for no reason, they hurt Indigo…”

There was too much to unpack here. One simply did not call the Matriarchs something like awful, and yes, they did punish gems, but they had their reasons, even if lower gems like themselves couldn’t always understand them, and…

“And they treat gems like you horribly, too, don’t they?” Ruby continued.

“Gems like me are made to serve, and we are happy to do so.”

“You seem happy to do other things too.”

“Like?”

“Like telling stories. Or researching.” Ruby said. “And you are damn good at it too.”

Pearl blushed. “I-I really-”

“You should be proud of it. You should be allowed to be proud.”

Pearl didn’t know what to say. Being proud of something she did, and something that had nothing to do with her purpose, that was a foreign notion, but she couldn’t deny that she felt something good when Ruby praised her, so maybe she did want to be proud?

Ruby laid on the ground, as the Fusion often did. By force of habit, Pearl sat down by her side.

“I didn’t use to think about this too much, you know? I just got angry that…” She trailed off for a moment. “When they send Rubies to a battlefield, they don’t really care about how many will make it back. It doesn’t matter if we lose a few, there are tons of us, right? We are disposable. And I didn’t mind it, being disposable, but my friends! I could lose my friends at any moment, and no one would care. That made me angry.”

Pearl nodded, silent. She knew that common soldiers like Ruby were easily replaced, but she had never really thought about how each of them was an individual, with her own thoughts and feelings… with friends that would miss them.

“Then Indigo showed me that it isn’t only us.” Ruby continued. “The Diamonds don’t really care about anyone but themselves.”

Pearl thought of White’s Pearl, the crack on her face that no one bothered to fix. She could still serve her purpose, so what did it matter? What did it matter if she was in pain?

“Indigo Diamond could change things if she wanted to, right?”

Ruby sighed. “Not really. She can’t do anything if the other Diamonds don’t agree. And they never agree.”

Pearl frowned.

“The truth is… Indigo can’t do much on her own. She is smaller and weaker than the other Diamonds too, so she couldn’t overpower them either. She is trapped, like we are.”

Pearl thought back to the times she had seen the other Diamonds and how they treated Indigo. She remembered Indigo complaining they didn’t take her seriously and didn’t let her be the leader she was supposed to be. Things were falling into place.

“They treat her horribly, too.” Ruby continued after a long pause. “Indigo told me they would lock her in the tower when she displeased them. Can you imagine it? A Diamond, locked in the tower? But now she is better at doing what they expect of her, but they still hurt and scare her. Yellow has fits of anger, Pink has that awful aura, and White… White doesn’t really need to do anything to be scary.”

“Is that why you were worried before?” Pearl asked.

Ruby nodded.

“It’s silly, right? She is much stronger than me. It’s not like I could protect her or anything.”

“But you’re a Ruby. It’s your instinct to protect.” Pearl said softly.

“I guess so,” Ruby said, sighing.

The door opened, and Indigo entered the room. She had stars in her eyes.

“It’s happening! It’s happening!” She exclaimed as she picked Ruby up and hugged her.

“I guess the meeting went well?” Ruby said, her face squished in Indigo’s arms.

She left Ruby on the ground. “More than well! Finally!”

Pearl found herself smiling. She had no idea what was going on, but it was good to see her Diamond so happy, especially after what she just learned.

“Are you going to say what it is?” Ruby asked.

“They’ll let me have my own colony!” Indigo almost shouted. “For real!”

Ruby smiled brightly. “Wow, Indigo- that’s amazing!” She turned to Pearl. “She has wanted this for a while now.”

“I know,” Pearl whispered back, feeling as if she was gossiping a secret.

“Come see this!” Indigo said, sitting on her chair and opening a holo screen. There, she opened a star map, and started moving it to the coordinates she had already memorized. Soon, she zoomed in a single galaxy, and then a solar system, and then a planet.

Ruby took Pearl’s hand and they both jumped on Indigo’s table so that they could see it better.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Indigo asked, excited.

“It is.” Ruby agreed. “Is that water?”

Indigo nodded. “It covers around 70% of the planet’s surface.”

“How unusual,” Pearl commented.

“And convenient,” Indigo said. “The Lapis Lazulis will have a lot to work with. The soil composition is also great.” She moved a finger and pulled the data.

Ruby looked at the numbers but she wasn’t sure of what they meant. Geology wasn’t her strength. But Indigo said it was great, and Pearl looked impressed too, so she guessed it was safe to believe it was good.

“Are you going to plan the whole colony?” Ruby asked.

Indigo made a face. “Not exactly. I have to follow a template, and anything I want to add must be approved by Yellow and Pink.” She let out a low groan, but soon her face turned cheerful again. “But I will get to make the gems! My own gems!”

There were stars on her eyes again.

“This is so exciting!” Ruby said.

Pearl simply looked at Indigo in awe. All of this sounded so special, and Indigo looked the happiest Pearl had ever seen.

Indigo started showing other things to them, excitedly explaining some of the different tasks she needed to do for the new colony. Ruby gave up on trying to understand it, she was just happy that Indigo was happy. Pearl tried to follow, but there was a lot for her to take in. Still, she felt happy that she had the chance to be a part of this moment.

The next months were very busy for Indigo. She wanted to get everything ready so the first ships could be sent, and the first warp pads could be built. She spent a lot of time working on the plans and projects, and there was little time left for fusing or chatting.

As excited as she was about the colony, she did miss fusing with Ruby and hanging out with Pearl, especially when she ran into troubles with her projects. But she reasoned with herself that she could spend more time with them after the colony was done, and maybe they could even be a little more free there. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, but a Diamond could dream, right? The Diamonds didn’t usually interfere with each other’s colonies, so maybe she could make a nice place there just for her and her friends.

Friends. It had been so long since Indigo had even dared to think of the word. But she grew to consider Ruby and Pearl her friends. And she was more mature now. She wouldn’t mess everything up this time.

Ruby and Pearl were always with her as she worked. They chatted, always careful not to distract Indigo. Sometimes Indigo showed them what she was working on, or asked for their opinions. Indigo knew they worried about discussing more important matters, thinking they were not made for it, but she found their different perspectives to be very helpful.

She wanted her colony to be good for all gems that would live there, after all.

Time seemed to fly. Soon enough, the first projects were finished, and the ships were sent, and the warp pads were built. Next, the first kindergarten was built. Indigo read and reread the reports many times, unbelieving.

She got ready to visit the base built on the planet’s only moon. She was walking to her ship, Ruby and Pearl following her, as Yellow and Pink approached.

“Going without saying goodbye?” Pink said, in an unusually soft tone.

Indigo turned towards them, feeling a warmth inside. She never wanted to hate them, and most times she didn’t, not really. She got angry, and sad, and hurt, but she couldn’t hate them. They were important for her, and a part of who she was.

“I thought you would be too busy to see me today.” She said, also softly.

“We can get a couple of minutes for a historic occasion.” Pink said.

“Don’t teach her such things.” Yellow said, stern but also softer than usual.

“The idea was hers.” Pink said, earning an elbow to her side. “Look at you. Finally taking your place.”

“We knew you could do it. You’re a Diamond, after all.” Yellow said. “You just needed the right push.”

Indigo tried not to think too much about pushes, and focus on the fact that for the first time Yellow and Pink seemed to be proud of her. This was all she had ever wanted.

“Are you really taking her with you?” Pink asked, pointing at Ruby, who seemed to shrink under the sudden attention.

All the happiness Indigo was feeling seemed to freeze inside. Why did they have to always talk this way about everyone Indigo cared about?

“You have no need of a Ruby anymore. You are making _real soldiers_ in your colony.” Pink continued.

“Let her be, Pink.” Yellow said. “I think she has earned the right to have her few eccentricities.” She winked at Indigo.

Indigo felt a small relief, but she couldn’t recover the good mood from earlier.

“I guess.” Pink said, with a dramatic sigh. “Just don’t take it too far.”

“I won’t.” Indigo said, not really planning to follow it.

“I know you will do well.” Pink said. “This is what you were made to do.”

“If you put your mind to it, there is nothing that can stop you.” Yellow said.

“Thank you.” Indigo replied, smiling. She was hit by a strange mix of sadness and happiness. She noticed Yellow had a strange expression on her face.

Oh. Pink.

“Can you not?” Yellow said.

Pink raised a hand to her mouth, seeming to just realize what she was doing. “Sorry. We will not delay you any further, Indigo. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.” Yellow said.

“Goodbye.” Indigo said. The weird feelings stopped. She watched the two returning to the palace, to their many duties.

After a moment, she turned back to her ship, and signaled for Ruby and Pearl to follow her.

After they were in their places, and Indigo had used her right arm to control the arm shaped ship’s takeoff, Ruby decided to ask.

“Are you alright, Indigo?”

Indigo nodded. “It’s just Pink’s stupid power.”

Ruby frowned. She knew Pink was powerful, but her aura never lingered long enough to make everything feel so cold for so long.

* * *

“I wish I could be there with them,” Indigo said, looking longingly at the projection of the Amethysts slowly emerging.

“Why don’t you go?” Ruby asked.

Indigo sighed. “I would never hear the end of it from Yellow and Pink if I did.”

Pearl mused on the subject for a moment.

“Well, they don’t want Indigo Diamond to be there. But if it was someone else…”

Indigo’s eyes lit up. She looked at Ruby, who nodded. She reached out her left hand, and as soon as Ruby took it they started fusing.

It had been a while. They hadn’t fused since Indigo started working on the colony, and they missed it. The Fusion was happy to be back.

Her hair was completely black now. The clothes she was wearing were very similar to the uniforms the Amethysts wore, in Indigo’s colors.

“Hi,” Pearl said, happy but surprised. “This was not what I had in mind.”

“But it works, right?” The Fusion asked, obviously excited at the prospect of stepping on the planet’s surface.

Pearl tilted her head. “They can’t know you are a fusion.”

“Oh, right.” In a moment, the Fusion made a pair of gloves appear on her hands, covering her gems. Then, she summoned a visor to cover her eyes. “So? If anyone asks, I am here to supervise the emerging under Indigo Diamond’s order.”

“That can work,” Pearl said, still feeling a bit unsure. There were so many things that could go wrong. “Do you have any visions?”

The Fusion’s lips curled down. “I have no idea how I did that.”

“Alright,” Pearl said. “Let’s just be discrete. It can work.”

The Fusion had a big smile on her face as she took Pearl’s hand so they could warp to the surface.

Arriving there, she looked around in awe. The Amethysts were already starting to form small groups, which later would be their units in combat.

“This is really happening.” The Fusion said. “Indigo made them. She made life from nothing!”

Pearl smiled at her excitement. “She did.”

“Who are you?” A strong voice asked from behind them.

Pearl and the Fusion turned around, guilt written all over their faces. A huge Amethyst stared down at them.

“I… Um…” The Fusion stuttered.

“How dare you ask this?” Pearl said, with a courage she didn’t know she had. “This is Garnet, and she was sent here by Indigo Diamond herself to verify the progress of the kindergarten!”

The mention of Indigo Diamond was enough to change the Amethyst’s attitude completely. She saluted, suddenly afraid she had messed up.

“I’m sorry! We were not informed of this!”

“Indigo Diamond will be informed of this,” Pearl said, enjoying the newfound power.

“Take it easy, Pearl.” The Fusion said, finally getting into the role. “They are new.”

“As you wish, Mistress,” Pearl said. She wasn’t doing anything much different from her actual work, yet it felt very different. It was… fun?

The Amethyst was relieved. “The leader will take a few more months to come out.” She informed. “We were informed she will be exceptional!”

“Good job… Amethyst.” The Fusion said, realizing she had no idea of which Amethyst this was. Was Indigo supposed to know from a glance? “Continue with the good work. I will inspect… there.” She pointed to a random location.

“Thank you, Mistress.” The Amethyst said, saluting once again before leaving.

The Fusion walked to the direction she pointed to, Pearl following by her side. They kept walking until they were out of the kindergarten.

The Fusion sighed in relief. “This was close.” Pearl nodded. “Garnet?”

Pearl blushed. “Well… I know it’s not a proper name. But I panicked and you do look like a type of Garnet, so…”

“It’s perfect.” The Fusion said. “I love it!”

Pearl smiled back. Then, she took in their surroundings. “Look!”

They had all known from Indigo’s files that the planet was covered in organic life, but neither of them had ever seen what organic life looked like before.

By all they had heard before, it was supposed to be unimpressive. But what they had in front of them was everything but. There were tall, asymmetric beings in shades of brown and green that moved only with the wind, and small colorful beings flying in the sky. On the ground they stepped on there were small green filaments, and even smaller beings walked and crawled between them. Even the air there was different from what it was like in the kindergarten, and they could feel a mix of scents, both good and disgusting.

Everything was messy. There seemed to be no order as all the different shapes and colors and textures touched and mixed together.

“It’s beautiful.” The Fusion - _Garnet_ said.

“How many types of organic beings are there?” Pearl asked. She felt like cataloging what they were seeing, for no particular reason, but each being she saw was so different from the others that she felt like they couldn’t be related at all.

“I don’t know,” Garnet said. She took Pearl’s hand. “Let’s find out!”

She and Pearl ran towards the large brown and green things, wanting to see more of it all. But before they took two steps, Garnet stopped.

She saw the green _leaves_ falling and turning dark, and then turning into dust as the wind blew. The _trunks_ shrunk and dried, the _branches_ fell and broke. The ground too dried, not unlike it did on the kindergarten, and as she looked around, there was nothing else left, nothing but the dead ground, as the spires and buildings of Indigo’s colony rose to the sky. Ordered, stern, cold. Dead.

The planet was dead.

Tears filled her eyes, and she blinked. She was back in the present, and Pearl looked at her worried.

“We are killing this place…” She whispered.

“Did you have a vision?” Pearl asked, frowning.

Garnet nodded. “There will be nothing left by the time the colony is completed.”

Pearl lowered her eyes. This shouldn’t be surprising, she supposed there was no way all of that could co-exist with gem production. Still, it was sad to hear that it all had an expiration day.

The sky seemed to get darker, and soon drops of water were falling from the sky. Young planets and their fussy atmospheres.

“Garnet…?” Pearl called, still tentative about the new name. “Should we go back?”

Garnet took a moment to react. “Yes. Yes, let’s go.”

Garnet unfused as soon as they arrived in the moon base, and Indigo and Ruby were very quiet. Pearl offered to keep watching the emerging of the Amethysts from the observation orb, while they went to the control room.

There was not much to be watched, there was no reason for things not to go according to Indigo’s plans, but Pearl figured they would appreciate some privacy. So she watched the soldiers grouping, counted them once and then another time, and another just to be sure. Besides the leader, that would come out later, there was just one missing. That was a good percentage.

When she thought enough time had passed, she turned the orb off and went upstairs. Before her presence was noticed, she heard Ruby’s soft voice.

“You wanted this so much.”

Pearl took a couple of steps backward, intending to go back to the lower level. She didn’t want to eavesdrop, but she couldn’t tune out their voices.

“But it’s wrong! How can we just come here, as if we own the place, and _destroy_ it?” Indigo said.

“I get it, I get it!” Ruby said. “I saw it too. And you are right. But if you just abandon it all, what will Yellow and Pink say?”

Indigo paused for a moment. “I will explain it to them. They will understand.”

“Do you hear yourself, Indigo? How could they ever understand? They didn’t care about-”

Pearl took another couple of steps behind, until she couldn’t understand Ruby’s words anymore. She knew Ruby often spoke of the Diamonds as if she _knew_ them, and maybe she did thanks to Garnet, and Pearl was starting to get used to it, but this was something else. She was insulting them, and being quite rude to Indigo too. This was too much.

After a moment or two, she went up again.

“-think they will care about _organics_?”

“They care about me,” Indigo said.

“You hate them!” Ruby exclaimed, frustrated.

“No, _you_ hate them!” Indigo shouted back. Pearl couldn’t remember ever hearing her shouting before. She felt a chill. “They are my family.” She added, in a lower voice.

“And what a great family they are! So great that you needed to be friends with a piece of dirt like me!”

There was a loud bang.

“Leave. Now.”

Pearl quickly ran the last steps back to the lower room, just in time for Ruby not to know she was eavesdropping. Or almost.

“You heard it?” Ruby asked. She guessed Pearl did because of the expression on her face.

Pearl blushed. She really hadn’t meant to!

“It’s fine, I guess everyone on this moon would have heard it, if there was anyone else here!” Ruby said. She sat on the ground. Pearl could swear there was some smoke coming from her.

Pearl hesitatingly approached her. “Do you want to talk?”

“No.” Ruby sighed, but she probably didn’t mean it, as she quickly added. “She can’t talk to Yellow and Pink! They will put her back in that tower, and she will be all alone and, and she will be miserable because she will have missed her chance to finally become who she wants to be! How can she not see it?”

“Did you _see_ it?” Pearl asked.

“Well, no. But it’s obvious! That’s how they are! We all know it!” She groaned. “Why does Indigo think they will suddenly hear her now?”

Pearl thought for a moment, but the answer didn’t seem too hard.

“Because she cares about them. And she wants to believe they care about her in the same way.”

Ruby hit her own forehead.

“Of course. Of course!”

“Really?” Pearl asked, surprised that her guess could actually be right.

“Yeah!” Ruby exclaimed. “That’s all she has ever wanted, right? That’s why she wants so badly to prove herself.” She hit her forehead again. “And I told her… argh, stupid, stupid!”

“You are not stupid,” Pearl said. “You just worry about her.”

“I told her she is not good enough,” Ruby said sadly. “That was so mean. I have to apologize.”

Both looked at the stairs leading to the control room.

“I will wait here,” Pearl said.

“Actually… I wish you’d go first…” Seeing the expression on Pearl’s face, she quickly explained herself. “Indigo would never hurt any of us and you know that! But… if she doesn’t want to see me right now… then I won’t go.”

Pearl nodded.

As she walked the steps, she could feel the temperature dropping. When she arrived in the control room, Ruby a few steps behind, she saw Indigo sitting on the floor by her chair, a circle of ice on the floor around her.

This was new.

“My Diamond?”

“She’s right,” Indigo said, not looking at Pearl. “They have never listened to me before. Why would they now?”

Ruby jumped the next steps and landed near Pearl. She quickly saw the situation. Indigo had no expression on her face, but her sadness was clear.

“Because this isn’t just a whim!” She said. “This is a well-thought decision, and this is _your_ colony, so they have to listen!”

Indigo turned her head towards them, but otherwise didn’t move.

“They won’t listen to my reasons. They never do.”

Ruby walked to Indigo, and placed her small hand over hers.

“They better listen. You are a Diamond, and you are just as capable of leadership as them. It’s about time they see that.” She looked down for a moment. “This might not be easy, and I hate the idea that you might get hurt in _any_ way, but if this is something you find worth doing, I will support you. I will do everything I can to help you, Indigo.”

When Indigo looked into her eyes, there was a small sparkle back into them. Even the temperature in the room got a little warmer.

“Do you think I can convince them?”

“If I think? I know you can.” Ruby smiled. “There is nothing you can’t do, Indigo.”

Indigo stood up, and the last of the ice on the floor melted. “Alright. But if I’m going to do this, I better plan well.”

For the next days, Indigo started writing a speech that she would use to explain the situation to Yellow and Pink. She worked very hard, rewriting sentences over and over until they were as clear as possible. At times she would ask Ruby and Pearl for help, always considering their suggestions.

When she was finally done, she requested a conference with the two older Diamonds.

It went terribly wrong.

They didn’t let her finish talking before they dismissed the whole thing as Indigo not taking responsibility to finish what she started. They called her weak and lazy and reminded her of her past failures. In the end, they made it clear they wouldn’t ever take her seriously if she couldn’t finish a single colony.

Indigo was devastated, but she wasn’t about to let it show. Not to Yellow and Pink, and not to Ruby and Pearl. No, it was just a temporary defeat. She just had to try harder.

And she did, and she did, and she did. She tried different approaches, she tried to approach them separately, she tried to negotiate, stars, she even tried talking to White. Nothing worked. They kept telling Indigo to stop complaining and start working. Each failure made Indigo angrier.

“Argh!” Garnet punched a large rock, electricity flowing through her hands and hitting the target as well. Pearl couldn’t help but be impressed. “Why can’t they listen? Indigo has tried everything!”

They were in a remote area of the planet, one with no constructions going on. Indigo and Ruby had wanted to fuse and Garnet didn’t want to be in the suffocating moon base.

Pearl didn’t know how to answer her. She was still surprised at how little Indigo’s status seemed to mean to the other Diamonds. If Indigo couldn’t get them to change their minds, who could?

“Look at this!” Garnet raised her hands to point at the trees around and the birds flying in the blue sky. “It’s all so beautiful! But they haven’t even seen this, and they won’t ever, because it will all be gone before they give it a chance!”

Garnet paused. Pearl couldn’t see her eyes because of the visor, but she had learned how she looked like when she was having a future vision. They had become more frequent, but she still couldn’t control them.

They were usually bad. Garnet could avoid most of them becoming true, but Pearl was always a bit scared.

“We have to do something!” She said, taking Pearl’s hand and pulling her as she ran to somewhere.

Somewhere ended up being a construction site of one of the colony’s structures. A group of workers lined up as a tall red Agate paced in front of them. Garnet and Pearl hid behind a large rock.

“Why are you not building?” The Agate shouted.

“Indigo Diamond’s orders were to stop all activities on the colony until-” said a trembling Lapis.

“We have a schedule to follow!” The Agate exclaimed. “I know she is your Diamond, but we can’t let her mood swings put us behind in our work. Pink Diamond sent me here to make sure it won’t happen!”

“We are not going to disobey our Diamond!” A Bismuth said.

The Agate reached for her gem and summoned a sharp spear. “You will do as said!”

Garnet couldn’t just watch that. The moment the Agate pointed the spear at the Bismuth, she jumped into the scene, summoning her own weapon.

She blocked the Agate’s attack and held her spear. Shocked, the Agate dropped it and it disappeared.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“You won’t hurt these gems,” Garnet said, very serious. She dismissed her weapon, which caused Pearl to almost shout. She wasn’t wearing her gloves. Indigo’s gem was on display for anyone to see.

Fortunately, no one seemed to notice it, too shocked at the sudden appearance of a mysterious gem. Garnet seemed to catch herself soon enough, as her right hand started glowing as she shape-shifted it. When it settled, Indigo’s gem had rotated, which together with the color change made it almost unrecognizable.

“By the order of whom?” The Agate asked, teeth clenched.

“By my order!” Garnet said, landing a punch with her bare fist on the Agate’s chest. The force of it made her fall on the ground.

The Agate now needed to know the identity of this insolent gem. She scanned her body for her gem, and her eyes settled first on her left hand, then on her right hand.

“You’re… a fusion?!”

There were shocked gasps from the workers, who simply watched the scene, and some raised their hands to their mouths.

Garnet could hear their whispers.

“A fusion?”

“Impossible!”

“What kind of fusion…?”

“Who is she?”

“That’s right,” Garnet said, trying to drown the voices. “I _am_ a fusion. My name is Garnet and this is _my_ planet!”

The Agate was back to her feet, but still recovering from her shock.

“What?” She laughed. “This is the most absurd thing I’ve ever h-” She stopped suddenly as a spear, much different from her own, hit her chest, and her form dissipated in a cloud of smoke.

Garnet looked behind herself, to the group of workers, trying to find who had done it. The workers also looked behind, to a small form half-hidden behind a large rock.

“Oh my stars, what have I done?!” Pearl exclaimed.

Garnet smiled. “Pearl! You have a spear?”

Pearl came out from behind the rock and walked to her friend. “I have a spear?” She said, a little unsure.

The workers started whispering again.

“A Pearl?”

“She has a Pearl?”

“A Pearl defeated an Agate?”

“I’m sorry!” Pearl said. “I don’t know what came to me, I just couldn’t take her talking that way to you.” She looked down at the fallen gem. “Oh my stars!”

“You did great!” Garnet said, placing a hand on Pearl’s shoulder.

“What are we going to do? She saw us! When she reforms, she will-” Pearl stopped as she noticed Garnet once again seemed to be having a vision.

“She won’t cause them any trouble.” She said, after a moment. “You gave her the scare of her life.”

“What about us?” Pearl asked. “Will she cause us any trouble?”

Garnet smirked. “Let her cause.”

She then grabbed Pearl’s hand and pulled her away from the construction ground, ignoring the workers who wanted to know more about those strange gems.

Soon they were back to the moon base.

“Garnet, please be honest to me,” Pearl said. “What is going to happen?”

“The Agate and the workers are going to spread rumors about the fusion and the Pearl who are claiming the planet and trying to stop the colony’s works,” Garnet said, voice even.

Pearl’s hand flew to her mouth. “This is awful!”

“This is perfect!” Garnet said. “Indigo couldn’t stop the colony, but maybe we can!”

“How?” Pearl asked, the idea of doing something even a Diamond couldn’t hard to grasp.

“The Diamonds never had to deal with rebels like us!” Garnet said, excited. “They never saw a fusion like me, and they never saw a Pearl fight! And I can count on my fingers how many times someone actually questioned them! We just need to keep doing what we did today, and let the rumors grow, until this planet starts costing more than it’s worth it!”

“Do that again?” Pearl shook her head. “No. I can’t. I can’t do it again, I am not made for this!”

Garnet was quiet for a moment. “Alright. I understand.”

“You do?”

“This is risky. I can’t ask this from you if you don’t want to.”

Pearl felt a small relief.

“But that was really cool!” Garnet added. “Since when do you have a spear?”

“I-I don’t know!” Pearl said. “I didn’t know I could do that.”

“I didn’t either,” Garnet said. “How much more is there that we don’t know?”

“Who knows?” Pearl gave a nervous smile.

Later that day, after Garnet unfused, Indigo reassured Pearl many times that she didn’t need to do this with them. But Pearl watched as she and Ruby discussed their plans excitedly, and she remembered how she felt when she had managed to defend her friend, even if in such a small way.

When Garnet was about to warp to the planet again, Pearl followed.

They started small. Sabotaging works here and there, showing up with daring words to lower gems. Garnet started rotating Indigo’s gem as she formed (or maybe it was Indigo who was doing it?) and she never wore gloves anymore. Her clothes also changed, without Indigo’s insignia and colors now. Pearl decided to follow, shapeshifting an outfit with no diamonds anywhere.

The rumors spread quickly. Garnet’s and Pearl’s actions gained a new proportion, they were strong and intimidating in the stories they told. They were surely to get the Diamonds' attention in no time.

What they didn’t predict was that the tale of two gems who didn’t fit in fighting for themselves could be so inspiring to those who heard it.

* * *

“I… brought this for you,” Ruby said, showing Indigo a branch with small leaves and small violet flowers.

Ruby had picked it up on Earth. She had seen locals giving each other small gifts and since then she had wanted to give something to Indigo.

“It’s adorable!” Indigo said, taking the branch and placing it on her table. “Thank you, Ruby!” She kissed the small gem’s forehead.

Ruby showed a small smile as her cheeks heated.

“I just have one last report to fill and we can go,” Indigo said.

It was quick. Soon she jumped from her chair and took Ruby into her arms, and they fused.

Garnet had been busy, as more and more gems defected Homeworld and wanted to join her and Pearl in their rebellion. It started to look like they could actually face Homeworld’s armies.

Garnet worried about it. She didn’t want to hurt Homeworld’s soldiers, and she didn’t want the rebels to get hurt, either. She just wanted the Diamonds to give up on Earth already, and to give her rebels the world of freedom and possibilities she promised them.

The Diamonds, however, seemed twice as determined in ending the rebellion when they learned it was led by two outcasts. They couldn’t have common gems thinking such behavior could go unpunished, after all.

Garnet arrived on Earth and greeted Pearl, who was training sword fighting with a few other rebels. A couple of the new rebels were soldiers, and they were teaching all they knew to the others, who had never touched a weapon before. Pearl was proving herself to be an excellent fighter, her perfectionism and attention to detail big allies when she held a sword or her spear.

Garnet had also found some new abilities. The electricity she could use to increase the power of her punches could also form a sort of barrier to protect herself and her friends. She was starting to control her future vision better, and during battle she could get glimpses of where her enemy would attack next.

She watched the rebels that trained with Pearl, and the others who also watched or brought materials or who just chatted. The mood in the rebel camps was always cheerful. All those different gems grew used to treat each other as equals, and it was beautiful.

Garnet was surprised when she first learned that among the gems who defected there were pairs who had been fusing in secret, and that after learning about her, they found the courage to fight for what they built together and to stay together as much as they wanted.

She still felt her cheeks heat as she remembering asking them what made them want to be together and they answered _love_.

She felt like a fraud. Indigo and Ruby fused because they hated the same people, which was a really stupid reason to fuse. Sure, they cared about each other, but it was not a pretty love story like the ones she heard. Everyone would be so disappointed if they learned the truth.

But they never could learn it. Because if they did, they would know one of her components was Indigo Diamond, everyone’s sworn enemy. For good reason. The more Garnet talked with those gems, the more she learned of the ways Indigo unknowingly oppressed them. How could she live so peacefully in Homeworld when other gems suffered so much?

But Garnet could make it right. She just needed to set Earth free, and then they would all be happy in this paradise.

* * *

Pearl felt her nails digging into her own arm, and she couldn’t stop herself. “This… sounds really bad.” She said, bluntly.

It was easy being blunt to Garnet, in a way it would never be easy to be to Indigo or even to Ruby.

She really didn’t see Garnet as “Indigo and Ruby” anymore. She was Garnet. The leader of the rebellion. The gem Pearl would always protect, not because she _had_ to, but because she _wanted_ to.

The gem Pearl had grown to love.

“I know it does,” Garnet said. “And I would be lying to you if I said I am not worried but… it needs to be done.”

“Can you really not see any other way out?” Pearl asked.

“No.” Garnet lied. The truth was that trying to see into the end of the war was painful. When she tried, all she could see was it lasting longer and longer, and gems she cared about dying.

At least, doing this, she could see Homeworld retreating, but no further than that. She had no idea of what would come next.

Someone had once told her that the only way to win the war would be shattering Indigo Diamond. She tried to forget about that day, and about her, but what she said stayed in her mind. And the more she thought, the more sense it made.

Only when Indigo Diamond was gone would everyone be free, only then she herself could be free. Indigo was her biggest weakness and her biggest sin. She had to go so Garnet could start a new life.

“They already made their choices.” She told Pearl, who nodded.

Garnet unfused. Indigo walked to her throne, where a bubble floated. Ruby peeked outside, where it rained.

The bubble contained a dead branch holding dead flowers. Ruby had given Indigo that, but it soon withered. Indigo shouldn’t have been surprised, she should have known nothing organic could survive on the moon, but it was still painful to see it changed like that. She bubbled it too late. Now, she popped the bubble, letting its remains return to Earth, to start a new cycle.

Nothing organic ever thrived where gems lived, she had learned.

She also learned that on Earth everything eventually died, but death was never the end.

“I am ready,” Indigo said. “There’s just one more thing I have to do.” She turned towards Pearl. “I have one last thing to ask of you.”

Ruby turned to them for a moment, then looked back outside. She knew this was not a request, but an order, and it made her feel sick. She knew Pearl would never betray them, no matter what. This was for Indigo’s sake, more than anything else.

She couldn’t really stay mad at Indigo, though, when she was making such a huge sacrifice. Either way, one look at Indigo’s eyes was enough to make Ruby melt.

Their eyes met for probably the last time.

“You both know what to do,” Indigo said.

Ruby nodded once, and then shapeshifted. She grew taller, and made a fake gem on her right hand. She became Garnet, at least in looks, except for her eyes.

Then she summoned a visor, and it was good enough. With the poor lighting outside, no one would be able to tell.

Indigo walked outside first, then Ruby followed. Pearl watched from inside, waiting for her turn to act. She would help Ruby run away with Indigo’s gem hidden.

She looked at the small figure standing near her. “Now you know the truth.”

* * *

Pearl had a peaceful expression as she spoke. “I’ve wanted to tell you for so long.”

Steven had tears in his eyes. He looked at his palms, his two gems.

“Mom…” he lowered his left hand, and stared at the gemstone on his right palm. “Sapphire was Indigo Diamond.”

He hadn’t heard the sound of the warp pad, so he was shocked as he heard Holly Blue’s shout.

“Whaaat?!”

He looked at her, and saw her and Amethyst with matching shocked expressions.

* * *

Pearl had left Ruby alone with Indigo’s gem. They were hidden in a place nor Homeworld nor the rebels knew about.

Ruby watched as Indigo’s gem started glowing and floated high, forming Indigo’s familiar silhouette. Then it lowered, and a different silhouette formed, and it became solid.

Ruby raised an eyebrow.

“A Sapphire?”

Indigo took a look at herself, and took the bangs away from her eye. “It felt right.”

She walked to Ruby and took her hand.

“Everyone already figured it out that you are a Ruby.” She said. “Some have been guessing I am a Sapphire, because of the future vision. While I can’t give myself a power I don’t have, I guess this can make it easier if we ever have to unfuse in front of someone.” She raised her right hand, showing her permanently rotated gemstone. “Do you like this form?”

“I like any form you decide to take,” Ruby said. “Because no matter what you look like, you’re still you.”

Indigo smiled. “Ruby… I think I love you.”

Ruby felt her cheeks heating. “I figured that.”

“So…?” Indigo asked, suddenly nervous.

“I know _I_ love you.”

Indigo jumped into her arms. Now, they fit together just right.

“There’s one thing I already like about this form,” Indigo said.

“What is it?”

“We can finally see eye to eye.”

“You mean _eye_ to _eyes_.” Ruby teased.

Indigo laughed, a laugh more real than she had in ages.

She was still smiling when Pearl arrived. “You reformed.” She had expected Indigo to look different, but nothing had prepared her to see her like that.

It was strange, but not in a bad way. Pearl felt even a little bit excited about what the future would bring, now that the worst had passed.

“I’m Sapphire now.” Indigo - or rather, Sapphire said.

Pearl smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sapphire.” She paused, not wanting to spoil the moment. But they couldn’t forget their circumstances. “The news are spreading.”

Ruby and Sapphire exchanged a look, and hugged. Soon, Garnet stood next to Pearl.

“We should meet the others.”

Pearl nodded.

Not even Garnet could see what was to come, but for a moment it didn’t matter. She felt they had made the right choice, and at the moment she felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from her chest.

**Author's Note:**

> I had a dream one night in which Sapphire sang a song about being a Diamond, and decided to turn it into an AU without thinking of the consequences. I have always liked "Momswap" AUs, so I am happy to finally write one. I plan on writing more on this AU soon.


End file.
